


Say It in Silence

by covarla



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Tony Stark, Civil War Fix-It, Curses, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Muteness, Protective Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Top Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:19:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/covarla/pseuds/covarla
Summary: “Tony!?”He startled at the sound of Steve’s voice, nearly dropping his tablet.  Tony looked around and bit back a curse.  He hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking and had wandered into a part of the Wakandan palace he really didn’t want to be in.  He quickly looked back over his shoulder.  There was Steve with Barnes and Sam right behind him.  Steve took a step forward.  Tony did the only sensible thing he could think of at the moment.  He ran.





	1. Chapter 1

Consciousness came back slowly. Touch was the first thing to register. He felt a comfortable bed underneath him, nothing like the chamber that Hydra had used. He twitched the fingers of his right hand to feel the soft fabric. Scent came next, spices and fresh flowers mixed with the sterile scents of the medical grade cleaners. Each breath carried with it more little notes. Someone’s perfume, a slight hint of some sort of machine oil, a lingering trace of coffee. He licked his lips and tasted the staleness of his own breath and the slight tang of copper. Coming out of cryo apparently always tasted like copper no matter what technology was used. 

His awareness of his surroundings expanded and with it came bits of sound. Closest was the beeps of machinery and the whir of oxygen. He heard a voice off to his left and focused on it, but it seemed like his hearing was still coming in and out. 

“I just don’t see why you don’t want him to know you’re here,” the voice said. Young, female, accented. He knew the voice. Shuri. The princess of Wakanda. His hearing must have faded out again because he didn’t hear the reply.

“I know you don’t hear this often, but you’re an idiot,” Shuri said. Another pause and then she laughed. “I think I would like these Pepper and Rhodey people. They keep you humble.” She laughed again and he heard the clack of shoes moving closer. “Yes, yes. I know. But, I still think that you give him and the others too little credit.” Shuri’s voice grew slightly louder as she moved closer. “If they knew…” He heard her pushing a button on the chamber and turned his head towards the sound. “Oh, he’s awake.”

His eyes opened slowly. The world was a blur of colors and bright lights. He blinked again and began to make out the form of Shuri beside his bed. Another blink and the medical ward around her came into focus. He caught a glimpse of dark hair and a black t-shirt, but the doors closed before he could figure out who Shuri had been talking to. Shuri started to undo the straps that held him to the table and he returned his focus to her.

“Welcome back, Sergeant Barnes.”

**********************

Wakanda was amazing. Not just Shuri’s lab and the medical wing, but the whole country. The city was teeming with life. The jungles, mountains, and plains were full of natural wonders. The people were friendly and curious. At first he’d stood out as one of the few foreigners in the country, but after the third time he’d been brought out of hibernation he stopped being interesting. The street vendors knew him by now. So did the people in the palace. He was expected, welcome. Despite their friendliness, he always found himself out here, in a hut among the border tribe.

The first day or two out of cyro were always the hardest to shake off the urge to sleep. The local boys had made a game of sneaking in while he slept. The first few days they actually succeeded. Bucky wondered how long it would take for it to get old. In any case, he learned to hold back his natural reaction to attack. Instead he stretched slowly. He felt his lips twitch into a smile as the three boys ran off. 

Bucky reached over and wrapped a shawl around his shoulder, hiding the capped off end where a metal arm used to be. He stepped out into the sunlight and wasn’t surprised to find the girl there laughing with the children who had woken him. They ran off, calling out his nickname, the White Wolf, as they went. He shook his head. 

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” Shuri said as soon as he stopped beside her.

“Bucky,” he corrected. And, it felt more true this time than it had previously. He really was starting to feel more like Bucky than the Asset. 

“How are you feeling?”

She asked him every time he woke up and it still never got old. He took a moment to consider the answer. “Good,” he answered honestly. Whatever magic her technology was doing while he slept was actually working. He was starting to feel at peace here. More like himself than he remembered feeling in a long time. And she and her brother were the reason for it. “Thank you.”

Shuri smiled. “Come,” she patted him on the chest and started to walk away. “There is much more for you to learn.”

Bucky took a moment to stare out at the water in front of him. He drank in the peace of this little paradise before turning and following her back towards the palace. He easily used his longer stride to catch up with Shuri. “What did you have in mind?” 

Shuri grinned at him as she lead him to a waiting vehicle. “There have been some advancements while you slept.” She flashed him another wide grin as she hopped into the driver seat.

It wasn’t the first time he had ridden in a Wakandan vehicle, but he didn’t think he was ever going to get used to the hover technology that they had. The fact that there were a number of these small planes flying around boggled his mind. And then there were the hover bikes and levitating trains…. Shuri was an expert pilot for her age, though. She glanced at him as she flew the little craft back across the plains towards the city. “We think we have a way to permanently rid you of the activation words.” 

Bucky blinked at her in surprise. “You… Really?”

Shuri nodded. She glanced at him again before turning her eyes forward and navigated them through the tall towers of the city and towards the mountain where her lab was. “We have had much success with the Wakandan science and technology outreach programs already. Several major technological and medical companies have been very interested and my brother has allowed me to bring in some consultants.” She expertly landed the vehicle without even pausing her speech. “There’s a new piece of technology we have access to now. Binary Augmented Retro-Framing,” she said as the doors opened. Shuri hopped out and started to stride towards the entrance to the building without stopping. Bucky stood there in shock for a minute before scrambling to catch up with her.

“What does this Binary Augment thing do exactly?” Bucky nodded to the guards posted at the entrance to Mount Bashenga. He followed Shuri into the winding hallways that led down into the mountain, with her lab at the heart of it all. 

“Binary Augmented Retro-Framing,” Shuri repeated. “It’s a fancy name for a virtual reality program that allows the user to work through traumatic memories. Combining that with the technology we used for the subconscious treatments you have received while in the cryogenic chamber….” Shuri waved a hand and turned to grin at him, as if that would explain it. 

Bucky frowned as he tried to think through the implications of what she had said. He felt like there was a lot she was leaving out, but he also knew he wouldn't be able to keep up if she started talking science. He was smart, but Shuri was on a whole nother level. “What does it involve?”

“The technology allows the user to relive memories and work through traumatic experiences,” Shuri explained. She turned to walk backwards down the sloping hallway so she could watch him as she spoke. “Combined with brain scans, we think we will be able to identify exactly how the activation words affect your neural pathways and then work on a method to either fix the damage, if that's what it is, or counteract the effects.”

Bucky nodded slowly. “But in order to see how it affects me, you're going to have to access a memory where I hear the words,” he pointed out. “Is it worth the risk of unleashing the Winter Soldier again?”

Shuri waved a hand dismissively. “We will be able to pull you out of the memory before the sequence is completed. It will be perfectly safe.”

He wasn't sure if he agreed with the safe part. But… Wouldn't the benefit of having the words gone be worth the discomfort of reliving the experience, even if it was one of the times that had involved the chair as well? After all, he had trusted the Wakandas with everything so far and they had yet to let him down.

“Okay,” he said finally.

Shuri smiled at him, full of warmth. “Excellent. We can start later today if you are comfortable with that.” She turned then, her hands waving expressively as she talked. “We expect that it will take several sessions before we begin to see results. It would be best if you were to stay in the palace for the time being.”

Bucky shrugged. T'Challa had given him a room in the palace to use whenever they brought him out of cryo, but he didn't tend to use it much when Steve and the others weren't there. It was too quiet. He preferred the little hut by the water most of the time.

“Steve and the others?” 

Shuri made a thoughtful noise. “Last I heard they were still with Nakia in Sudan.” She shrugged. “They will be back when they are back.”

Bucky bit back a laugh. For someone who delighted in inventing new gear for the so-called Rogue Avengers, Shuri was less than impressed by the people under the gear. Captain America did not impress her. Bucky found that hilarious.

“I have another surprise for you,” Shuri said. Bucky hadn’t even realized they had reached the lab until he had to stop short in order to avoid running into the princess. There was a covered object on one of the tables. Shuri taped at her Kimoyo beads and took a few steps back. He’d seen her use them to scan and record her experiments before, but why she had them pointed at him he had no idea. “Go ahead,” she prompted, waving her free hand at the cloth covered object.

He moved toward the table carefully. Bucky had seen her prank her brother once before, though he didn’t think she would have done anything like that to him. He carefully lifted the white cloth. Nothing jumped out at him. There was no explosion of glitter. Instead, there was a shining metal object. The cloth fell from his suddenly numb fingers.

“You built me a new arm?”

“Well,” Shuri began, “I did have the help of one of the leading mechanical engineering experts in the world.” She grinned at him when he looked up at her. “It’s made with vibranium, so it will be both lighter and stronger that your previous arm.”

Bucky hesitantly reached out to touch the metal. His fingers traveled over the arm almost reverently. “Is it safe?” He had to swallow down a lump in his throat before he spoke again. “Do you think it’s safe for me to have something like this again? I…” Bucky let his hand fall away. He shook his head as if he could shake away the bad memories. “The last time I had a metal arm, I hurt a lot of people.”

Shuri tsked at him. She must have stopped recording because she grabbed him with both of her hands and turned him to face her. “You were made to be a weapon, but you are not that man anymore.” She met his eyes without flinching and without pity. “The treatment has already done so much for you. With this new technology, we will get rid of the last of Hydra’s programming.” Shuri let her hands fall away. “My brother and I have faith in you, as do the rest of your friends.”

For a long moment all the could do was stare at Shuri. He looked from her to the arm. It would be nice to feel whole again. And this arm didn't have a legacy of blood behind it. Maybe… Maybe it was okay to want this. 

“When do you think you would be able to…” He waved a hand vaguely toward his left shoulder. 

“Does now work for you?” Shuri seemed highly amused by his surprise. She gripped him by his flesh arm and dragged him further into the lab. “I have everything ready and the consultant is available today.” Shuri hesitated for a moment. “It would be best if we could sedate you for the process,” she said carefully. Shuri must have felt him flinch because she turned to look at him with a sympathetic expression. “Unfortunately we don't know how painful it will be to reconnect the neural pathways to the new arm. The doctors felt it best if you were not awake for that part of the process.”

Bucky looked down at the medical bed Shuri had led him to. He remembered how painful it could be when the Hydra technicians were working on the arm. They certainly had never cared about his comfort during the process. But, if the Wakandan doctors could sedate him, maybe it would be alright. He would have felt better if Steve were there to watch over him while he was under. But, who knew when Steve and the others would get back. It could be this afternoon or two weeks from now. He nodded.

Shuri clapped her hands loudly, drawing the attention of the other scientists in the room. “We are going forward with the new arm,” she announced. Suddenly there was a hum of discussion around them. Shuri pointed at one of her assistants. “Please tell Doctor Mboye and our consultant that we are ready for them.”

Around the room there was a flurry of activity. One of the assistants moved to the head of the bed and began typing on the floating screen that popped up. Two more moved the arm to a table closer to the medical bed. Others started shutting down projects and filtering out of the room. Bucky looked around at all this and then down at the bed next to him. He sat down heavily. It was almost too much to believe. He was going to get a new arm and soon he was going to get rid of the crap that Hydra had put in his head. 

Bucky looked up at Shuri and tried not to show how lost he was suddenly feeling. “Thank you,” he said softly. “What do you need me to do?”

Shuri smiled at him. Before she could reply one of her assistants came over, showing her something on a tablet. She scanned through whatever it was briefly and then nodded. “Good,” she told the man, which sent him scurrying off… somewhere. She turned to Bucky again. “Just take off that thing.” Shuri waved a hand at the black wrap covering his shoulder. “Then lie down and try to relax.”

He wasn’t so sure about the relaxing part, but taking off the wrap he could do. He’d tied the knot in a way that was easy enough for him to undo one handed. He folded the wrap up and draped it on the pillow on the bed. Then, he swung his legs up onto the bed, laid down, and waited.

Soon enough Doctor Mboye appeared beside Shuri. They had a quick conversation in Wakandan. Bucky watched the doctor move over to one side of the room before returning with a small tray. “Good afternoon, Sergeant Barnes,” Mboye greeted. She gave him a polite smile before turning back to her tray. “We have a sedative that we believe will work with your super soldier serum.” She felt along his arm with an expert hand until she found a vein. There was a swipe of cool liquid. “Just a disinfectant for the injection site,” she explained. “You will just feel a slight pinch and then it should only take a few minutes for the sedative to take effect.” She held up the syringe and waited for his nod before continuing. He didn’t even flinch at the prick of the needle, so used to it by now. “I’ll be here the whole time and will be monitoring your vitals in case you come out of it early.”

Bucky nodded. There was more movement around the room. He heard the door open and close, but the room was already starting to seem a bit fuzzy around the edges. It wasn’t so much dulled as just… not important anymore. He could practically feel the sedative working its way through his body, relaxing his muscles one by one until he was just floating. Shuri laid a comforting hand on his flesh arm as she watched what looked like his vitals on a floating screen. “Send the consultant in,” Shuri called over her shoulder. “Bring the arm over and put it in place on the bed,” she instructed one of her assistants. Shuri looked down at Bucky and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing.” She patted his arm. “Just relax and let the drug take effect. When you wake up, you’ll have two arms again.”

He tried to nod, but it felt like he didn’t really do more than flop. His tongue was too heavy for words. Sounds were starting to fade in and out. He blinked and it seemed to take forever before his eyelids opened again. Movement to his left drew his attention. He managed to slowly turn his head, but what he saw didn’t make any sense. 

There was a man leaning over his arm, using a small screwdriver to quickly and efficiently remove the cap that Shuri had installed over the connection where his old arm had joined his body. That wouldn’t have been so odd, if the man wasn’t Tony Stark. Bucky felt his heartbeat try to speed up, but the sedatives were too strong. All he could do was stare as Stark gently removed the cap and set it aside. Stark turned to say something to Shuri, his hands flying as he spoke, but Bucky didn’t hear a single thing that he said. Bucky must have made some sort of noise, because Stark paused mid-movement to look down at him. Impossibly, Stark’s expression softened. Stark met Bucky’s eyes and slowly and carefully enunciated his words. Bucky still couldn’t hear, but the meaning was clear. 

It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.


	2. Chapter 2

When he woke, Stark was gone. Bucky sat up slowly. He still felt a bit foggy from the sedative. He looked around the room, but there wasn’t any sign that the man had really been there. He wondered if Stark was still in Wakanda or if he’d only stayed long enough to install the arm.

He lifted his left arm slowly. It was definitely lighter than the old one had been. He didn’t feel like the weight was straining his shoulder muscles. One by one he moved the fingers, just to make sure that he could. He flexed the arm up and down, watching the plates shift and move. Bucky studied the intricate movement of the joints in the fingers and the wrist. He ran the pads of his fingers along the bed beside him. Not only could he feel the pressure of an object resisting against his touch, but he was able to tell the shift from hard plastic to soft fabric. The new arm didn’t have quite the same level of sensitivity as his flesh hand, but it was a vast improvement over the old arm. Bucky wondered what else had been improved. Would he be able to tell hot or cold with it? 

“How does it feel?” Shuri asked as she made her way across the lab. 

Bucky glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the new arm. He held it out to the side and rotated it. There was no pain or stiffness like the old arm had caused. “It’s great,” he said finally. “Lighter, like you said.” Carefully he extended his arm up and out, checking the range of motion. It acted just like a normal arm would. He lowered his arm again.

“Excellent,” Shuri said. She bounced between several displays floating near the bed. “Let us know immediately if you experience any pain or if you sense any sort of delay in response.” She shot him a reassuring smile. “We don’t expect any problems, but this is new technology for all of us. Better safe than sorry.”

“Right.” Bucky nodded. He stared down at the arm, still a bit in awe. “Is Stark still here?” 

The smile on Shuri’s face didn’t fade, but the tightening of her shoulder muscles and a twitch in her eyes gave her discomfort away. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she replied casually. Shuri tapped on one of the displays. Her fingers moved as if typing on an invisible keyboard and notes appeared on the screen. 

Bucky gave her his most unimpressed look. “The drugs didn’t take effect that quickly,” he pointed out. “I saw Stark here, installing the arm.” Shuri didn’t look up from her display. “I just would like to thank him, is all.” Bucky waved a hand at the arm. “He… I have a lot to apologize for where he’s concerned. More than I would ever expect him to forgive me for.” Bucky shrugged. “It means a lot to me that he helped make this.” He ran a hand along the smooth metal of the arm. He couldn’t even feel the plates, though he could see them shift with certain movements. 

Shuri’s expression softened. “I’m afraid I cannot comment on Dr. Stark’s whereabouts,” she said, “but I will be sure that everyone who assisted today knows that their work was appreciated.” She patted him on the arm before shooing him off of the bed. “Go. Eat. Rest.” She kept pushing at him until he hopped off the bed and started towards the door. “Come back in a few hours and we can start the Retro-Framing treatment,” she called after him.

The door slid shut behind him. Bucky found himself at a loss for what to do. For lack of a better idea, he made his way down to the train that transported people from the mines and labs into the city proper. The train was mostly empty when he boarded it. Bucky found himself staring out the windows as the train literally floated down its track. He barely even felt the stop and start as it came to the first station. More people filed onto the train, but Bucky ignored them in favor of looking out over the city. There was so much color mixed in with the rising spires of the city. 

It took only minutes to ride from Mount Bashenga to the palace. Bucky rose to shuffle off the train with the rest. Most of the people either went down the stairs to the street level or right towards the public areas of the palace. Bucky went to one of the elevators instead and rode them up to his floor.

The palace was a huge building with two towers and a wide base. In addition to offices, meeting rooms, and living quarters there were several cafeterias and cafes throughout the building as well as two restaurants on the ground floor. Over the months, he had tried each of the different options, but he found himself preferring the cafeteria nearest his quarters. Most of the people there were either less important guests or workers. The room was always fairly quiet and conversation relaxed. Plus they were always serving food, even late at night. 

When Bucky got to the cafeteria, it was well past the lunch rush and not yet time for dinner, but there were still a good number of people scattered among the tables. The staff here knew him well enough to give him a quiet greeting. None of them pressed him for conversation, which was nice. Bucky managed a quiet thank you to the woman who handed him a loaded plate. They all knew to give him a super soldier sized portion by now. 

It still felt odd to him to be able to eat his fill without having to pay for any of it. Besides the small things he bought in town or when he bought food from the street vendors, he hadn’t had to pay for anything in Wakanda. After so long on the run, it was nice. T’Challa and Shuri were so generous and resisted his every attempt to pay them back. 

The cafeteria also had wide windows that looked out over the city. With his enhanced eyesight, it was a nice place to watch the people below. He sat at what had become his usual table at the far corner of the room, right up against the windows. Bucky managed to relax there for an hour just people watching until the beginning of the dinner crowd started to filter into the room. 

He still had a few hours before he was due at Shuri’s lab again. Bucky’s feet automatically took him up a level to his own room. T’Challa had given him a room in the same wing as the rest of the Avengers. Most of the rooms were on one side of the hall while a large lounge area spanned the other side. Bucky’s room was on the outskirts of the cluster, next to Steve’s. He lingered in the doorway to the lounge.

It was weird to see the room empty. Even when Steve and Natasha were out of the country on some mission or other, there had been someone left behind. For a while at least. Lang hadn’t even been in the country very long before he had been offered some sort of home arrest deal so he could be near his daughter. Bucky didn’t really blame him for taking the offer. Then, Wanda had gotten offered a pardon and training with some program in the States. She had been hesitant at first, but by the time he came out of cryo again she was gone. Bucky had asked Steve about it once. It seems like she was happy now. When he’d gone under last, it had sounded like Clint had a deal in the works as well. Some of the man’s bitterness had eased at least. 

Now, though, the lounge was empty. Bucky turned away, heading down the hall to his room. 

Someone had been in his room to dust and change his sheets while he’d been gone, but otherwise his room was untouched. The notebooks on his bedside table were still exactly where he’d left them. Bucky settled on the bed. He picked up the top book in his to read pile, something called Ulysses, and cracked it open. This one wasn’t a recommendation from Sam or Natasha, but was instead off a list he’d found online. Things that were apparently considered classics now and taught in schools. Some of the books he’d enjoyed, but this one…. Bucky gladly put the book down a few hours later. He shook his head to clear it as he started back towards Shuri’s lab. 

Shuri smiled at him when he stepped back into the lab. Bucky looked around the room, but nothing really looked that different than when he last left. “Did you still want to do the Retro-Framing thing tonight?”

“If you are comfortable with it,” Shuri responded. She waved him further into the room when he nodded. Shuri led him to a long table littered with different objects. She picked up a pair of glasses and handed them to him.

He looked from the glasses to Shuri and back again. “This is it?” He had been expecting something much bigger, probably with a ton of electrodes hooked to him. Yet, here he was with a sleek pair of glasses. 

Shuri took the glasses from him. She pointed to one side of the frame. “Tap here to turn the program on or off.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to one of her sand tables. At a touch the table fell away leaving only a formless sort of chair. “I’ve tied the program into this table. It will mimic your surroundings the best that we can.” Another wave of her hand had several floating screens appearing. “We will be able to see everything that you are seeing as well as doing brain scans. Doctor Mboye will be monitoring your vitals. We will pull you out right away if you become too stressed.” 

Bucky held out a hand. “What do I do?”

“Just tap the button and then think about one of the times that you heard the trigger words,” Shuri said. She ignored his outstretched hand and slid the glasses onto his face. “It doesn’t matter which time, whichever one you are most comfortable with.” Shuri took hold of his flesh hand and raised it to the side of the glasses. “Just one tap to end it. You can stop it at any time.” Shuri let go of his hand and stepped away.

The glasses were light, barely even noticeable points of pressure on his ears and the bridge of his nose. Bucky stepped backwards into the sand table. He sat and was almost surprised when the sand actually held his weight. God he loved this place.

Picking a time to focus on wasn’t really hard. It was just a matter of which one out of dozens. In the end he settled on the most recent one. He tapped the button on the side of the glasses. Then, in a blink he was there. The sand must have shifted around him because he could feel the reinforced chair around him, the straps over his shoulders to keep him in place. Around him was the glass and metal cage, so realistic that for a moment he had to force himself to remember that he was really in Wakanda. And then Zemo spoke.

“Why don’t we discuss your home?” Zemo was saying. “Not Romania. Certainly not Brooklyn, no.” The man turned to pull a thin red book out of his bag. “I mean your real home.” Zemo set his glasses aside and stood, pacing towards the cage.

Bucky turned to stare at the man. His heart rate sped up as Zemo began to read. “Желаниe.”

“No.” Bucky closed his eyes as if that could stop what was happening. He held onto the fact that this was just a memory. It wasn’t real.

“Pжавый.” 

His eyes flew open at the second word. He could feel the words starting to take effect already. “Stop,” he said. Zemo kept speaking.

“Семнадцать.”

“Stop,” Bucky said, more forcefully this time. His metal hand flexed, straining against the restraints holding him in the chair.

“Рассвет.” 

Bucky screamed as he struggled. His metal arm broke free of the restraint and then he was immediately pulling at the other one. He had to get free. He had to stop Zemo before he finished reading. 

“Печь.” 

He surged forward, banging on the glass of the cage. Bucky could feel his heart racing as the words started to take effect, started to strip his self away. He punched the glass with his metal arm.

“Девять.” 

His fist pulled back to hit the glass again and again. 

“Доброкачественные.”

He ignored Zemo circling the room and instead focused on hitting the same spot over and over again as he screamed.

And then the glass fell away. He stumbled when his punch had nothing to connect with. He blinked and suddenly he was in Shuri’s lab. Bucky sank to his knees. He was breathing heavily, his throat sore from screaming. He focused on the artwork on the far wall of the lab. It was colorful and bright and not like anything in Germany or in any of the rooms Hydra had kept him in. 

“You did well.” 

Bucky looked up at the voice, surprised to find that T’Challa had joined them at some point. The king held out a hand. Bucky hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab it. He let the king pull him to his feet and help him over to a chair. T’Challa sat down in the chair next to him, not touching him but still a solid presence to connect him in the here and now.

“We have enough data to get started,” Shuri said. She swooped forward to pluck the glasses off his nose and hand him a bottle of water before moving back to one of her screens. 

Doctor Mboye moved forward then. “Your heart rate was rising too much to risk going further,” Mboye said while her fingers rested on his pulse point. Bucky focused on his breathing and taking slow sips of water as his body relaxed. Mboye gently tipped his head up to check his pupils. She patted him on the shoulder, then stepped away. “I don’t expect that there will be any lasting effects,” she told him. “But come to see me right away if you feel dizzy or if you start to get headaches.” She looked over her screen of data once more before nodding. “No strenuous exercise tonight or tomorrow. Rest.”

Bucky nodded. If he was being honest with himself he felt like crap. “No arguments here, ma’am.”

Shuri glanced over at him before turning back to her screen. “Go feed the man, brother. Get out of my hair.”

Beside him T’Challa chuckled fondly. He stood and actually seemed to be waiting for Bucky to come with him. T’Challa clapped him on the shoulder when he stood. “Come.” T’Challa said the word more like a request than a command. He smiled slightly as they started to make their way out of the labs. “Have you ever had egusi soup?” The king waited for Bucky to shake his head before continuing. “It is one of Nakia’s favorites from Nigeria.”

Bucky found himself smiling as the king described the soup. He’d noticed a lot of Nakia’s favorites appearing in the evening menus at the cafeteria whenever she was due back from a mission. Not that he was complaining. The woman traveled a lot and had good taste. Bucky had discovered that he liked trying new dishes. Perhaps, one day, he might even like to try cooking them. He looked down at his new arm. It certainly would be a lot easier now that he had two hands again. Bucky let T’Challa’s soothing tone wash over him as they made their way through the halls. Maybe this treatment really would work.

**********************

Bucky was flipping through news articles on his tablet when there was a knock on his door. He set the tablet down on his bedside table. Bucky hesitated at the door. There were no peepholes here to check who was on the other side, but it was unlikely that a threat would make it all the way into Wakanda, past the Border Tribe and the Dora Milaje, into the palace, and then just politely knock on his door. Bucky pressed his thumb to the electronic lock and opened the door.

“Hey, Buck.” Steve grinned at him. He looked good. No visible injuries, looked like he had probably been sleeping enough and eating. Little bit of a tan under that scruffy beard. 

“Steve,” Bucky acknowledged with a nod. “When did you get back?”

Steve shrugged a shoulder. “Late last night. Shuri didn’t tell me you were up until this morning.” Steve took a step back and nodded down the hall. “Everyone’s in the lounge if you wanted to join us.”

Bucky considered that for a moment. While he wasn’t overly close with any of the Avengers, Steve liked it when he was social. Shuri and the doctors liked it too. Bucky looked down at himself. He at least was already dressed. “Sure.” Steve practically lit up when Bucky stepped out into the hallway. “How was the mission?” Bucky asked as he followed Steve down the hallway.

The lounge wasn’t really that fancy, just a cluster of plush couches and chairs centered around a huge television at one side and a large table at the other side. There were shelves full of books, which had been stocked with a wide variety of classics and recommendations gleaned from both Bucky and Steve’s lists as well as favorites of the other Avengers and books that he suspected Shuri had a hand in putting there. More often than not when the Avengers were in residence at the palace, at least one of them could be found there. On days like today, when they had just gotten back from a mission, they were always there together. It was as if they’d gotten so used to being together, to relying on each other, that they had to keep close until they adjusted back to civilian life. Bucky wondered if they’d done the same thing when they stayed in the Tower with Stark.

“Barnes.” Sam was the first to greet him when they walked through the open doorway. Natasha gave him a small smile while Barton only gave him an offhand wave, not turning his attention away from the television. “I see you’re sporting the shiny metal again,” Sam said.

Bucky pulled back his sleeve to show off his new arm. “Yeah.” He held up that arm and let Steve poke at it. 

“Is that vibranium?” Steve’s eyes widened in surprise. That seemed to draw Natasha’s interest. She rose from the couch to take a closer look.

“Yeah,” Bucky said again. “It’s lighter than the old arm, but stronger. And they made some improvements to the interface too. I can actually feel a little bit with it.”

“Buck, that’s amazing!” Steve grinned at him, so earnest and like his old self that it made Bucky’s heart hurt. There hadn’t been enough of those smiles since they started their exile here.

He ran his flesh hand through his hair as he considered whether or not to bring up Stark. Shuri had been cagey about it every time he tried to bring the man up. He wasn’t even sure if the man was still around or not. In the end, he decided it was better to just get everything out in the open. If Stark was still in Wakanda, it would probably be better if the others had a chance to prepare themselves so they didn’t say something they would regret.

He pulled his arm away and moved into the room to settle in what had become ‘his’ chair. It was off to one side of the seating area with sight lines to the windows and both entrances. He settled his sleeve back in place and realized that he was stalling. Bucky took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “So, I guess that Stark has forgiven me for Siberia and everything,” he ended up blurting out. 

Everyone in the room tensed. Clint sat up slowly. “Wait, what?” He clicked the television off and turned to stare at Bucky. “He forgave you or you forgave him? Because with what that man did to you, it would take a fucking huge apology before I would forgive him.” 

“I think this is a pretty big apology,” Bucky said, waving at the vibranium arm attached to his left side. 

Steve recoiled. “But, Shuri…”

“Made it with the help of a ‘mechanical engineering expert’,” Bucky interrupted. “One of the best in the world, she said. And I’m certain I saw him before they put me under. Shuri won’t admit it, but I know he was the one to attach the arm. The sedative didn’t work as fast as she expected it to.”

Clint eyed the arm as if expecting it to explode at any second. “Are we sure it’s not rigged to explode or something?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow at the archer. “Shuri helped build it. Do you really think she would do something like that?” 

Clint shrugged, but Steve still looked skeptical. “Are you sure you saw Tony? Maybe it was just your mind playing tricks on you.”

Before he could even begin to launch into how very wrong Steve was, Natasha spoke up. “I think Bucky’s right.” She held up the tablet she had been poking at. There, in bold letters was a headline that read “ **Stark Industries announces new prosthetics line. Trials begin with wounded vets.** ”

There was silence for a few minutes before Steve spoke up. “But, why would he do that?” He waved a hand at the arm. “After everything that happened he just builds you a new arm?”

Clint nodded. “Considering how paranoid the guy is, I’m surprised he doesn’t think you’re going to go all Winter Soldier on him.”

Bucky shrugged. He really had no idea why Stark would help him. “I shouldn’t be going Winter Soldier on anyone soon,” he said as a change of topic. “Shuri and the doctors have started me doing a new virtual reality therapy thing. It seems to be helping so far. They think they should be able to neutralize the activation words with it.”

“What did they call the device?” Natasha’s attention was back on the tablet. There was a tightness to her shoulders that belied her casual tone though.

“Binary Retro something or other,” Bucky answered. He watched her reaction carefully.

There was a slight widening to Natasha’s eyes before her expression smoothed again. She set the tablet down and looked up at him again. “Binary Augmentation Retro-Framing?” She continued when Bucky nodded. “Stark invented that technology.” She continued when everyone in the room stared at her in silence. “Uses glasses and allows you to re-experience memories, right?”

Bucky nodded. “I relived Germany, when Zemo used the words.” 

“Bucky, no…”

He cut Steve off before he could continue. “It was fine,” he reassured him. “The doctors pulled me out before Zemo even got close to saying all of the words. T’Challa was there and I’ve been fine since.” He shrugged. “Shuri did some scans of my brain, said they were going to isolate how the words affected me and fix it.” Bucky turned to look at Natasha. “Stark invented it?”

She nodded. Natasha leaned back on the couch, her hands folded in her lap. “He debuted it at a talk at MIT. Right before the Accords.”

Bucky’s eyes widened in surprise. The arm was one thing, but then Stark goes and gives Shuri the technology to fix his brain. He really wished he could find the man and thank him in person. He’d looked over the past couple days though. There wasn’t any sign of him.

“I think…” Bucky hesitated. He looked around the room and braced for an explosion. “I think Stark might still be in Wakanda.”

“Really?” Steve looked conflicted. One the one hand, Bucky knew that Steve didn’t fully trust Stark to be around Bucky yet. But, on the other hand, he knew that Steve regretted what had happened in Siberia. Bucky had seen the letter that Steve sent out with that brick of a phone.

The others looked surprised, but Natasha just nodded. “He would want to be on hand to monitor how his machine works, improve it if necessary.” She shrugged. “Stark may not be very good with people, but he is dedicated to his inventions.”

For a long minute there was silence as everyone took the new information in. Eventually Bucky felt the need to speak up. “I just…” He tapped his metal fingers against the chair, still awed that he could sense the softness of the fabric. “I figured I should give you a heads up in case you run into him.” He nodded towards the arm. “I think, maybe, that he’s trying to make amends. I mean, if he can forgive me after finding out that I killed his parents, maybe it’s time to forgive him too?”

He braced to get yelled at, but surprisingly the others just kind of looked vaguely uncomfortable and guilty. Bucky supposed that was progress.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony chewed on the pad of his finger as he read through the comments that Steve and Natasha had made on the latest draft of the amended Accords. Most of their suggestions looked reasonable, but he was going to have to ask T’Challa to negotiate with them on a few points. He really didn’t think the UN was going to agree to the Avengers just crossing international borders without any oversight at all. He had planned on simplifying the chain of command structure in the next round of amendments, but he supposed he could probably push in a few more changes in the proposed document. And maybe outline the abbreviated protocols to be used in emergency situations. T’Challa had agreed with him that introducing the changes in stages was going to be more palatable to the committee. It had certainly worked with the first two amendments they’d proposed and gotten passed. Unfortunately politics worked slowly and he really didn’t have the time to…

“Tony!?”

He startled at the sound of Steve’s voice, nearly dropping his tablet. Tony looked around and bit back a curse. He hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking and had wandered into a part of the Wakandan palace he really didn’t want to be in. He quickly looked back over his shoulder. There was Steve with Barnes and Sam right behind him. Steve took a step forward. Tony did the only sensible thing he could think of at the moment. He ran.

At least one person started running after him. Tony knew he wasn’t going to be able to outrun either of the super soldiers. Sam was pretty fast too. Which meant that he had to either lose them in the hallways or find somewhere to hide. Thankfully, he’d learned the palace hallways pretty well over the past couple weeks. Of course, it had been easier to roam around when Barnes was frozen and the others were out of the country on some mission or another. Still, he was a quick study. 

He wished he was wearing his armor today so he could just jump out a window. Even without the suit, the fall would probably hurt less than whatever Steve and the others would do to him if they caught up with him. He turned down another corridor and flailed for a door handle. Tony risked actually sliding down the stair railing. He stumbled a bit at the landing halfway down, but hopped right back on for the next set. He actually managed to make it the whole way down to the next floor before flying into the wall.

“Tony, wait.” Steve’s voice at the top of the stairs gave him the adrenaline surge he needed to recover his senses and scramble out the door. He turned down the hall immediately to his left. His room was so close, just two doors down. Tony dashed inside. He heard the door to the stairway bang open. His door slid shut quietly behind him and he jammed his thumb into the electronic lock. Even though the door was solid with no glass, he pressed himself up against the wall where he couldn’t be seen from the doorway. Tony held his breath, afraid to make any noise to give away his position. His heart pounded in his chest. 

He heard three sets of footsteps run past. Then, he heard voices further down the hall. Sam, maybe Barnes saying something. The sounds faded away. Tony closed his eyes and slid down the wall. He drew his knees up to his chest. Slowly, he tried to get his panic under control. 

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Steve's fist coming at him, over and over again. He felt the shock of the shield slamming into his chest and his eyes flew open again. Tony shuddered at the memories. He forced himself to take a deep breath and then another. 

Tony wasn’t sure how long he sat there before his tablet beeped. How he’d managed to hold onto it while he was running he’d never know, but he was glad he hadn’t lost it. He set the tablet down on the floor with shaking hands. A wave of his hand activated it.

“It’s T’Challa for you, boss.” Hearing Friday’s voice helped calm his nerves. He slowly lowered his legs until they were stretched out in front of him, then set the tablet on his lap. 

T’Challa’s voice was warm and soothing as it came through the speakers. “I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about our meeting, but then Captain Rogers came asking about you.” There was a muffled sound somewhere in the background of T’Challa’s call, but Tony couldn’t make out what it was. “I assume you will not be coming today.”

Tony winced. He sighed and considered his reply. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. A few taps on the tablet had Friday opening a connection to T’Challa’s network. She would make sure only T’Challa saw what Tony typed in response. 

**Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and forgot that they were back already. I can head back to New York early if this is going to cause you problems.**

There was a slight pause. “That will not be necessary. It is a big palace. I’m sure we can come to an agreement for you all to share.” More muffled noise in the background. Steve’s voice. The Captain probably didn’t like the idea of Tony anywhere near himself or Barnes. “I gather from Steve’s comments that you did not tell them the reason why you are here.”

Tony let out a gust of air in a silent sigh. **No. I ran before they could catch up with me.** He considered his current situation. **I would rather they not know if it can be avoided.**

This time there was a longer pause. “Tony.” He flinched at the sound of Steve’s voice. “I don’t know why you ran.” Steve sounded so fucking earnest. As if he hadn’t tried to kill Tony a couple months ago. “I just want to talk to you,” Steve continued. “Please.”

Tony cut the connection. He stared at the tablet for another long minute before he pushed himself up off the floor. Tony looked around the room, his room for the duration of his stay in Wakanda. He had his own bathroom and several tablets and bits of tech to tinker with. He could hole up in here for days, like he did in his workshop at home. Or there were the bracelets on the dresser. He could call the suit and take off. But, he’d come to Wakanda for a reason. Several reasons actually and his work wasn't finished yet. It felt too much like a coward’s move to run away now. 

He sank down on his bed and typed out a new message to T’Challa, and by proxy Rogers. **I’ll think about it.**

Tony closed out the messaging program and pulled up the Accords draft again. He went back to the beginning of the document and started to add his own notes plus a few more of his planned revisions. Rogers would probably be pacing the hallways for the next couple hours at least. If Tony couldn't leave, at least he could send T'Challa his notes so they didn't lose time. The king was due to present the newest amendment to the Committee in a week. If they missed the deadline their whole timetable would be thrown off. They needed to keep going while they had the Committee’s favor. 

He had to read through the document twice before he was able to get all of his thoughts down. Tony sent the document off with a wave of his hand. Then he sent a copy over to his liaison at the Stark Industries legal team so that they could look over the changes as well. As soon as that was done Friday popped up a window highlighting several urgent emails. Tony let out his breath in a silent sigh and dived in to tackle the list.

The door sliding open startled him. There were only a few people who had the ability to override a locked door. He expected maybe T'Challa, come to discuss the Accords, but instead it was Shuri. She strode into the room with a determined expression, only to stop halfway and rest a hand on her hip.

“My brother may be content to let you hide away,” she said, waving at him with her free hand, “but I am not. Come on. Up.”

Tony rolled his eyes at her, but obediently began to save and dismiss the floating screens projected above his tablet. Once cleared, he turned off the screen and tucked the tablet under his arm. He swept an arm forward and gave the princess a slight bow, motioning for her to lead the way.

He half expected Rogers to be waiting in the hallway, but it was empty. He didn't think anyone else was even staying in this area. He certainly had never seen anyone here before. It was half the reason he chose it. 

“Sergeant Barnes just finished another session with your Retro-Framing technology,” Shuri said as they walked. “Rogers and the others will be with him for the next few hours.” Tony nodded, not sure where she was going with that. “My lab will be empty for the remainder of the afternoon,” Shuri pointed out. “You can look over the data from Barnes’ latest treatment with me.”

Tony smiled at her. Science he could always do, no matter what else was happening. He nodded his greeting to Shuri’s assistants when they reached the lab. They all nodded back, used to his presence by now. As soon as they reached her workstation, Shuri pulled up the newest scans. Tony stood at her shoulder and listened to her recounting the memory they had worked with. For a moment, he wished Bruce was here with him. He would have loved this. 

It was several hours later when he finally left the lab. After looking at the scans, he had pulled up some of the projects he was working on for Stark Industries. Shuri had worked on her own projects, but included him by bouncing ideas off him. He extended his own branch by letting her see what he was working on for his company. Wakanda was more advanced that the United States in many ways, but she still was interested in the work he did. And she had a unique perspective. After his work was finished here, Tony needed to see if he could get her to come play in his labs for awhile. His nerdlings would love her.

After the earlier encounter, he actually was paying attention to his surroundings when he left the labs. Tony hoped that he was safe enough in Mount Bashenga. He only really expected to run into problems when he got back to the palace itself. But, he figured it would be safer to start paying attention as soon as he was in public spaces anyways.

It was only because he was paying such close attention that he spotted Clint so quickly otherwise. Tony stopped short at the end of the hallway when he caught movement in the shadows near the stairway that would lead him down to the public trains. Slowly Tony took a step backwards. Unfortunately, Clint must have realized he’d been spotted. Clint stepped out into the hallway. For a long moment, they stared at each other in silence. 

Tony broke the stalemate by taking another step backwards. There were other ways to get back to the palace. He could make a break for the street, lose Clint in the crowd. Tony had permission to use one of the little personal flight craft that were kept up at the landing pad at the top of the mountain. He could fly back. Or maybe he’d just go back to the labs. He had a couple more projects he could work on there. Always more work to do. Tony took another step, not quite willing to turn his back on the archer.

Clint raised a hand and it took everything in Tony to keep from flinching. Thankfully nothing came flying at him. “Tony, wait,” Clint said.

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it again. He shook his head and continued to back away. Once he reached the corner he turned and started to quickly walk back the way he’d come. He strained his hearing and… yup, there was the sound of someone following him. Tony quickened his pace. He wasn’t quite running, but he would if he needed to. 

“Tony.” Clint sound exasperated, which yeah, not a good sign for Tony’s future. “Steve just wants to talk to you. We…”

Whatever Clint was going to say cut off in a curse when Tony broke into a run. The archer started running too, but Tony was already at the lab entrance. Once again, he used the magnetic locks on the doors to his advantage. Granted, there were two other entrances to the lab, one several hallways over and another on the level above. He could try to guess which one Clint was going to go for and make for the other one. Tony hesitated in the doorway. Or maybe he could just go back out this door. Assuming Clint wasn’t going to wait for Tony to come out. 

“I thought you were going back to your room.” 

Shuri’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. Tony spun around to face her. He wasn’t sure what kind of expression was on his face, but it probably conveyed his level of panic appropriately. Shuri sighed. She pressed her palm against a plain white wall and a hidden door slid open. Inside was a weapons storage locker big enough for five people to comfortably walk around. Shuri shoved him inside. “Don’t touch anything,” she hissed as the door slid shut again.

Tony blinked at the door. This… actually worked out nicely. There must have been some kind of sensor in the room because the lights stayed on. Tony shifted away from the door to study his surroundings. The walls were lined with racks displaying armor and vibranium weapons. There was a whole section dedicated to the spears that the Dora Milaje favored and what looked like drawers full of their armor. Tony resisted the urge to touch anything, but he did lean very closely to some of them. Just because he wasn’t in the business of making weapons anymore didn’t mean that he didn’t appreciate good craftsmanship. 

The sound of voices drifted into the room and Tony quietly inched closer to the doorway. At first he couldn’t make out what was said, but near the door the voices became as clear as if he was in the lab with them.

“I know he came in here,” Clint said. He sounded just a little bit winded. Must have tried the door on the upper level. 

“He was here,” Shuri agreed, “and now he is not.” Tony could tell by Shuri’s tone that he was going to owe her something big for this. He flicked on his tablet and sent Friday on a mission.

Clint sighed. “Can you at least tell us where he went?”

“He went through the door over there.” Tony could practically picture Shuri waving in the general direction of both the door that Tony had come through and the hidden door.

“You mean the locked door,” Clint challenged.

Tony heard the sound of movement and then a door sliding open. Not his door thankfully. “It is not locked,” Shuri said, amusement in her voice.

Clint cursed softly. Tony gave a silent snort of amusement. If he wasn’t the one being chased, this whole situation would be pretty hilarious. He looked down when his screen flashed. Tony smiled down at the tablet. Friday had gone above and beyond. He tapped at the screen to confirm the order. Then, he had Friday shoot off a message to T’Challa to give him a little warning about the forthcoming gift.

“You know,” Shuri began. Her voice had a hint of an edge to it. “It might not be the wisest idea to chase after someone who does not wish to see you.”

“You’re right.” The sound of Steve’s voice sent a shudder of panic and fear through Tony. He froze where he was, as if any movement would alert the others to where he was. “We haven’t handled this the best. If you see Tony, please let him know that we really do just want to talk.”

“I will pass along your message, Captain Rogers.” Shuri’s tone was full of warm amusement. 

Tony heard footsteps walking away. He held his breath as the door opened and closed. It was several more long moments before the door to his hidden room slid open. Shuri’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “They’re gone,” she said, waving a hand to indicate the now empty labs. She grinned at him as he slowly edged out of the room, peering around the room as if Rogers and Barton might leap out from under a table or something. “You Americans and your drama.” Shuri tsked at him, shaking her head but he could read the amusement in her tone and the crinkling of her eyes. 

He tapped at his tablet and held it out to show her the screen. Her face lit up. “You got me Coachella tickets!?” He scrolled down a little further. “VIP access and a Safari tent!!” Her voice climbed in pitch the way only an excited teenage girl’s could. Tony winced at the noise, but continued scrolling down. “And you got T’Challa to agree to let me go!”

The tablet was knocked out of his hand as she bodily collided with him to pull him into a hug. Tony huffed out breath, almost like a silent chuckle. He patted her on the back awkwardly. Thankfully she took the hint and let him go. Shuri grinned up at him. “That is a most acceptable form of apology.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he bent down to pick up his tablet. He considered the hallway, not sure if it was safe yet or not. In the end he decided not to chance it. He turned and walked towards the lab station that he’d claimed as his while in Wakanda. Shuri trailed after him, already starting to talk about how disappointing her last trip to California had been. Tony smiled and nodded along in the appropriate places. The trip had come up a few times, so he knew it well enough by now to operate on auto-pilot. He let the sound of Shuri’s voice wash over him as he turned on the screen and flicked through his projects until he settled on one to work on. It was probably time to start the newest upgrade to Sam’s wings.

**********************

Bucky found wandering the palace halls early in the morning soothing. The cafeteria had a low hum of sound from the morning shift of workers, but the halls themselves were empty. Late at night was a good time for wandering too. He preferred the mornings though. Bucky liked watching the sun rise over the city or the mountains. There were windows everywhere in the palace. Whenever he explored a new area, it was like watching the sun rise over Wakanda for the first time all over again.

If he wandered into the lounge by his room, one of the others would probably be up. With Natasha he could just sit in comfortable silence and enjoy the view. Wanda too, when she’d still been here. But, if any of the others were up there would be noise. Steve would suggest they go out for a run to enjoy the fresh air. Sam would be watching the TV, usually the international news channel. Clint wasn’t normally up early, but when he was it was all cartoons and half-asleep mumbling. 

Today, he found he wanted that silence more than he wanted to appease Steve’s desire for Bucky to socialize. Which is why he found himself wandering the unused section of the palace below their floor. He’d been down here before, when he’d first scouted out the building and learned the layout. There was never anyone here except the occasional cleaning staff. He supposed these rooms didn’t have quite the same view as the upper floors. After all, the royal suite and the rooms for the Councillors were at the top of the palace, so guests currying favor would want to be closer to them than the lower staff levels.

He paused when he heard a noise from one of the lounges. Bucky slowed his movements. His training helped him to move silently through the hallway. He heard the sound again. The clink of china against glass. Bucky paused in the open doorway to a small lounge. There was no television in this room, just a small cluster of chairs and end tables set in a circle. But, what was interesting was the person sitting in one of the chairs. Tony Stark. He had a tablet in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. As Bucky watched Stark took a long drink of the coffee before setting it down again on the small glass table next to his chair. That was the source of the clink sound. 

Bucky took a single step into the room. Stark looked up at the movement. He startled visibly, fumbling with his tablet as he started to scramble up from the chair. “Stay,” Bucky pleaded. He held up his hands. Bucky took a step back. “I’m not going to chase you like the others,” Bucky said. “I’ll leave. You stay.”

Stark paused. He straightened so he was standing in front of his chair, his tablet clutched to his chest. His eyes drifted to the balcony in the room. Bucky wouldn’t be surprised in the man had the suit on standby. But, he didn’t run. Bucky took that as a good sign.

“I didn’t mean to bother you,” Bucky said slowly. “And I won’t tell the others you’re here. I just…” He looked up at Stark and made sure to meet the man’s gaze. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. For Siberia and your parents and everything. I know it’s not enough.” Bucky looked away, shaking his head. “It’s never enough. But I am sorry.” He let out a long sigh. “And thank you,” Bucky continued, looking up at Stark again. He waved a hand at the new arm. “I know you helped to design the arm and install it. And that you built the retro-framing therapy thing that Shuri has me working with.” 

Stark was still standing rigidly in front of his chair. If anything he looked even more uncomfortable now than he had when Steve was chasing him. Stark opened his mouth, but closed it again before he could give voice to any actual words. His gaze flickered down.

Bucky figured it was time to make his retreat. “You don’t have to say anything,” Bucky said softly. What did one say to the person that murdered your parents after all? “I just… Thank you.” 

He backed out of the doorway. Bucky turned down the hallway that would lead him to the nearest stairway. He could probably still catch the sunrise on one of the upper floors if he hurried. 

That evening he had another session with the B.A.R.F. machine, as the others had taken to calling it. This time, though, he had both Steve and Sam with him. As much as he liked to razz on Wilson, it was nice to have a counselor who specialized in PTSD available whenever he needed. Wilson certainly had his work cut out for him between Bucky’s PTSD and the whole host of issues the Rogue Avengers had. 

Nobody asked where he’d gone that morning and he didn’t volunteer any information either. Shuri might know. There was something in the way that she watched him that evening. She had a secretive smile on her lips whenever she looked at him. She didn’t say anything though, not with Steve hovering over him the entire time.

Bucky didn’t go looking for Stark again right away. The man was like a spooked rabbit. He would hole up for awhile so there was no sense looking in the same spot the next day. Or even the day after. So, Bucky didn’t even try. He went to the cafeteria for his meals, took a walk with Steve in the garden, sparred with Natasha in one of the gyms. Bucky waited.

Four days later, he went down to the lounge again. The sun was rising beautifully out the window. And there, in the chair, was Stark with his coffee and tablet. He looked up when Bucky entered the room. Stark froze, coffee cup halfway to his mouth, but he didn’t bolt. Bucky took that as a good sign.

“I don’t mean to bother you,” Bucky said slowly. He stayed just inside the doorway, not wanting to spook the man. “But, if you have a moment, I was wondering if I could ask a question.”

Stark slowly lowered his cup. He stared at Bucky for so long it was starting to become awkward. Bucky shifted. He should probably take that as a sign to leave. He could always try again another day. Then, just as Bucky was starting to turn away, Stark nodded. 

Bucky hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath until he let out a long sigh. “Thank you.” Stark gave him an odd look at that, but Bucky was used to odd looks by now. “I was wondering if you might be able to explain how the B.A.R.F. therapy works,” Bucky said. He took a slow step into the room. Stark tensed for a moment before visibly relaxing. “Shuri explained a little bit about it when she first told me about it,” Bucky continued. “But I thought maybe you could explain it a little better since you built it.”

Once again, Stark stared at him in silence for several long moments. He seemed to come to some sort of decision though, because he waved a hand at one of the chairs nearby. 

Bucky kept his movements slow and smooth as he made his way into the room. Stark watched him every step of the way. Finally, he reached the chair, just out of touching distance. Bucky made sure to lean back in the chair. That little bit of extra distance would probably reassure Stark.

Stark kept his gaze down on his tablet. His fingers flew across the screen. Bucky had been a sniper long before he had become the Winter Soldier. He could be patient. After all, he doubted Stark had invited him into the room just to ignore him. A few more taps and then Stark set the tablet down on the table between them. As soon as he did, a hologram sprang to life above the tablet. Bucky had to resist the urge to lean forward to study it. He’d seen holograms coming from the Kimoyo beads that T’Challa and some of the other Wakandas had, but this…. It was bigger and more… solid.

“Binary Augmented Retro-Framing,” a tiny Tony Stark said as he paced in the hologram. “B.A.R.F. for short. I know, horrible name.” There was the sound of chuckles from wherever this was recorded. Not a large room. There was a table in front of Stark, limiting his pacing space and a screen behind him. Some kind of conference room maybe. “These little glasses,” Stark continued waving a pair identical to the ones that Bucky had used, “have the power to connect directly with the user’s hippocampus. At the most basic, it allows the patient, in conjunction with their therapist or treatment team, to access traumatic memories and address that trauma.” Bucky glanced from the projection to the actual Tony Stark. The man was sitting back in his chair and looking out the window. It was probably the first time Bucky had seen the man so relaxed.

“In the most advanced applications,” the hologram continued, “the memory can be projected onto an external infrastructure. This allows the patient, and any members of the treatment team that they allow, to not only relive the traumatic experience, but also to alter that memory. No longer do they have to wonder ‘What if’.” There was a murmur of conversation when the hologram, the recorded Stark, paused. 

“Why bring this technology to us? I don’t see any proposed budget for research and development.” Bucky couldn’t see who had asked the question. This recording only focused on Stark, not his audience.

In the hologram, Stark turned to the speaker and gave his best press smile. “The technology is already built, ladies and gentlemen.” Another murmur went through the audience. “I recently demonstrated it using one of my own memories in front of an audience at MIT.” Another pause. “As you have likely noticed, there are representatives here from each branch of the armed forces, as well as the Department of Veteran Affairs and the major hospitals that work with veterans.” Tony paused. Bucky could practically imagine the people in the room looking around at each other.

“Stark Industries will be donating several of these systems to the VA hospitals for therapeutic use,” hologram Stark continued. “We are also happy to sell custom infrastructure and additional pairs if desired. But, before we get into all of that, let me tell the doctors in the room a little more about what it’s about. Then we can get into other applications, like training, that you all can go back and sell your bosses on.”

And, boy, did Stark know how to sell his technology. His explanation was thorough, but easy to understand. There were slides and images of the brain. Recordings of Stark’s own brain while using the device and then of other veteran patients. There was video from a hospital of a man in a wheelchair using the device with a split screen showing what the man was experiencing. It looked like a roadside bombing, probably Afghanistan. 

By the end of the presentation, Bucky realized he’d given in and leaned forward without realizing. His elbows were resting on his knees. He had been enraptured by the recorded presentation. Bucky leaned back in his chair slowly when the hologram faded. Stark didn’t say anything. He picked up the tablet and was immediately tapping away at the screen. They sat in silence for several minutes, Stark working on his tablet while Bucky processed everything he had just heard.

“That was…” Bucky didn’t even know how to describe it. Intense, seeing the memories of those soldiers. Awe inspiring when he read between the lines and realized that Stark had pretty much given the technology away to the treatment centers that needed it while also managing to spin a way for the military to pay for even more units. Yeah, he spun it with some strategic benefits, but everyone in that room knew that the primary use would be therapy. “Thank you,” Bucky settled on eventually. “That answered all of my questions.”

Stark gave him a small smile and a nod before returning his attention to the tablet. The man didn’t say anything. Bucky took that as his cue to leave before he overstayed his welcome. He figured the less he tried to force his company on the man now, the more comfortable Stark would be with him in the long run. And then he might be able to get the man to agree to meet with the others, maybe one at a time. Then maybe Steve would stop looking like someone had kicked his puppy anytime Stark was mentioned. Bucky could hope at least. 

He rose from the chair slowly. Stark tensed, but didn’t stop his work, which Bucky took as a good sign. He purposely turned his back on the man as he left the room. Bucky could feel Stark watching him the entire way, but he didn’t look back. Soon enough he slipped back into the hall and away. Bucky headed back towards his room. He had a lot to think about and a couple things he wanted to look up on his own tablet.


	4. Chapter 4

Bucky looked up from his book and shot a look at Steve when the man sighed, again. _Ulysses_ was dense enough without the constant interruptions. A quick glance around the room showed that the others were just as frustrated by the man’s pouting. Natasha rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, but Steve seemed oblivious to it. The Captain continued to watch the news with a sad look on his face. It probably didn’t help that the television was currently showing some tech segment about the newest Stark phone and tablet. Bucky wasn’t sure what Stark’s social life had to do with the new devices, but apparently the talking head on the screen just had to throw up pictures of the billionaire at some charity gala. Bucky narrowed his eyes as he watched Steve, waiting. 

Another sigh. 

Bucky chucked a pillow at Steve, hitting him square in the face.

“What the hell?” Steve spluttered. Bucky couldn’t resist smirking at him. He easily caught the pillow when Steve threw it back.

“If I didn’t know you were painfully straight, I would think you were pining after Stark,” Bucky pointed out. 

“I’m not….” Steve’s face went a spectacular shade of red. If anything his pout increased. “It’s just… He still won’t talk to me.” Steve sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. 

“He won’t talk to any of us,” Clint pointed out from his sprawl on the other couch. “Just takes off running and hides somewhere.”

“Stark literally jumped out the window when Steve and I last saw him,” Sam said. He shook his head, a small smile on his face. “Bout gave me a heart attack until I saw the suit speed away.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Maybe stop chasing him then?” He shook his head as he turned his attention back to his book. “Worked for me,” he muttered.

It took him a moment to register the stillness in the room. Bucky looked up from his book to find that he suddenly had the undivided attention of everyone in the room. He resisted giving his own sigh as he put the book down. It was going to be a lost cause at this point. Bucky quirked an eyebrow as he met the others’ surprised stares.

“You actually talked to him?” Steve’s tone was a mixture of surprise and awe.

“Yeah.” Bucky shrugged. “I mean, he didn’t actually say anything, but when I asked how the B.A.R.F. machine worked he showed me this presentation he’d had recorded. Did you know he’s providing the machines for free to the VA hospitals?” 

Natasha blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know that.” Bucky internally basked at knowing something modern that the others didn’t. 

“Do you know where he is?” Steve rose from his seat, as if ready to rush off to wherever Bucky had seen Stark last.

Bucky considered Steve for a moment before answering. “I don’t know where his room is,” he said slowly, “but I think I can guess the general area.” He paused. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to just go marching down there though.”

Steve’s expression immediately went full on kicked puppy. His shoulders even drooped, as if it was so surprising that the man who literally ran at the sight of Steve might still not want to see him. Bucky sighed. He let his head fall back to hit the back of his chair. He wished it wasn’t so damned plush and comfortable. He really felt like hitting his head against something. 

“Fine,” Bucky bit out. He held up a finger before Steve could talk. “But I have conditions.” He waited until Steve and the others nodded before continuing. “Don’t even step foot into the room unless he says it’s okay.” He let his hand fall down to rest on the arm of the chair. “If he says no, leave him alone. Don’t chase him. Don’t stalk him outside of the room.” He leaned forward in the chair, channelling a bit of the Winter Soldier and letting his voice drop lower with a hint of a Russian accent. “Don’t make me regret this.”

It was interesting to watch the reaction that voice had on the others. Natasha had no reaction beyond a slight tightening at the corners of her eyes. Clint’s hand twitched towards where he would have had a quiver if he were armed. Sam swallowed uncomfortably. Steve just looked even more resolved.

“We won’t,” Steve promise earnestly. He looked around at the others with that same pleading reaction and one by one they nodded. “Please.” Steve’s voice was soft when he turned back to look at Bucky.

Bucky really hoped he wasn’t going to regret this. He pushed himself to his feet. “I don’t know if he’ll be there,” he prevacated. “He has a spot that he likes sometimes in the mornings, but I haven’t exactly learned his schedule.” Steve still had on his determined face, so Bucky figured that he might as well get this over with. The others trailed after him as he left their lounge. 

He led the group to the nearest stairwell and down one level. The room that Stark liked was almost on the opposite side of the building from them, which had probably been a conscious decision on Stark’s part. As they approached Bucky tried to listen for the tell-tale clink of Stark’s coffee mug on the glass table. He didn’t hear anything beyond their own footsteps.

The doorway came into sight and Bucky paused. He shot a pointed look over his shoulder. The others seemed to understand his warning. Steve had his most determined look on while Natasha was obviously trying to look relaxed and non-threatening. Bucky rolled his eyes. He was going to regret this. 

He was almost surprised when he found Stark in the little lounge. Yet, there he was with his ever present coffee and tablet. Bucky stopped in the doorway to the room. Steve started to step past him, but Bucky threw out his arm, effectively blocking the doorway. The movement drew Stark’s attention away from whatever he was working on. His head snapped up and his brown eyes grew comically wide. Even from across the room, Bucky could see the way Stark was practically vibrating with tension. One wrong move and the man would be running.

“Tony.” Steve’s voice was soft and pleading. “We’d really like to talk to you, if that’s okay?”

Emotions flickered over Stark’s face for a brief second before a mask of polite interest dropped down. Bucky kept his arm in place, blocking entry. Stark looked from Bucky to the others and back again. His eyes narrowed slightly before smoothing out again. Slowly Stark set his tablet down on the table beside him. He nodded.

“Is it okay if we come in?” Bucky asked.

Stark huffed out a breath and nodded again. He waved a hand at the assortment of chairs and loveseats that made up the little sitting area. 

Bucky let his arm fall. He moved into the room slowly. Bucky watched Stark the whole time, gauging the tension in the man’s body. Stark’s eyes flickered between them as he watched the group cross the room. His muscles were coiled, ready to flee if needed. Bucky kept his movement slow and deliberate. The others seemed to follow his lead as they moved into the room. Bucky only took a brief second to consider the possible seating options before sinking down into the chair closest to Stark. He felt like he was the mediator between Stark and the others, might as well position himself as such. And, wasn’t it sad that the brainwashed former assassin was the one acting the most objective in this situation?

Thankfully, the others kept a little bit of distance between themselves and Stark. Steve and Sam settled on the small couch across from Stark while Clint chose a chair off to the side. Natasha remained standing, leaning against the back of Clint’s chair. Out of all of them, she looked the most relaxed, but Bucky knew that she could be as quick as Steve or Bucky if she perceived a threat. 

Silence stretched as everyone waited for either Tony or Steve to start talking. In the end it was Steve who broke the silence. “I hope you got my letter,” Steve began softly. He waited for Stark to nod before continuing. “I know I said it in the letter, but it bears repeating. I really am sorry.” Steve licked his lips. His gaze flickered over to Bucky and then back to Stark. “I should have told you about your parents sooner. It wasn’t right of me to keep that from you. Obviously you were able to forgive Bucky.” Steve waved a hand towards where Bucky sat. “I mean, you wouldn’t have built him a new arm otherwise, right?” 

There was a tense moment of silence. Then, Steve sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “If I’d given you time to process it, then Zemo wouldn’t have been able to drive a wedge between us.” Steve paused. He took in a bracing breath. “I don’t blame you for lashing out the way you did. It was my gut reaction to protect Bucky above all else, and I’m sorry that I hurt you because of that.”

Stark’s eyes had gone wide while Steve spoke. He looked around the room slowly, as if gauging the reactions of the others. Stark licked his lips. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again before any sound could come out. Bucky watched as small frown lines crinkled Stark’s face. Stark looked down at his hands, but ultimately reached for his tablet without saying anything.

Bucky watched with growing horror as Clint darted across the room to snatch the tablet right out of Stark’s hand. Stark was up and over the back of his chair before Bucky could even get to his feet. “What the fuck Clint!?” Bucky quickly put himself between Stark and the others. He really hoped the man didn’t jump out the window, again. 

“Steve just poured his heart out and the man doesn’t even respond,” Clint protested angrily. He waved a hand angrily at Stark, who had by now backed himself up against the far wall. “I mean, talk about narcissistic.”

All at once everyone was on their feet and talking. “Maybe he just needed to collect his thoughts,” Sam defended, ever the voice of reason. 

“I thought we had grown past this, Tony,” Steve was saying with wounded look on his face. “I never meant to hurt you. If you would just listen…”

“Clint does have a point,” Natasha said right over top of Steve. “I know these types of conversations make you uncomfortable, Tony, but…”

“... real mature giving us the silent treatment,” Clint’s rant hadn’t even stopped, despite only Natasha seemed to even listen to him. 

In fact, none of them seemed to be listening to each other. And the longer they spoke, the less attention they were even paying to Stark. “... none of this should have…” “... his fault…” “... the Accords were not…” Bucky ran a hand over his eyes, tuning out the others. Once they got started arguing it could take a bit for them to wind themselves down. Instead, Bucky turned to check if Stark had fled the room yet. 

Bucky froze when he looked at Stark. The man’s eyes flashed with anger and his hands were moving violently as he spoke, obviously trying to join in the argument. Bucky could see the man’s lips moving, but he couldn’t make out the words over the noise the others were making. Bucky reached out and slapped one hand over Clint’s mouth and the other over Steve’s.

The noise in the room died down instantly. Yet, Stark was still talking. Actually, judging by the way his lungs were expanding, the man was screaming at them. Stark’s lips formed sentences. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you all?’ was one that Bucky picked out. ‘Do you have any idea what I had to do to fix your mess?’ Stark’s mouth formed the words, but Bucky couldn’t hear a damn thing. He let his hands fall to his sides. 

“No one else can hear him, right?” Clint asked. The man poked at his ears. “My hearing didn’t suddenly go out again?”

Bucky nodded slowly. He carefully edged forward and righted the chair that Stark had knocked over. He moved forward a little more and that seemed to draw Stark out of what seemed to be a truly epic rant. The man was practically panting for breath. Even that was silent.

“So, this is a new development, huh?” Bucky said mildly. He held up his hands when Stark focused on him. “Not coming any closer,” Bucky reassured. He made sure to speak slowly and carefully enunciated his words. “Just wanted to get your attention. Didn’t really catch most of that, so can you try it again a little slower maybe?”

Stark let out a long sigh. The man looked defeated. Stark turned to look at Clint. _Can I have my tablet back_ , he signed. _Please?_

Clint’s eyes went wide. He started to hold the tablet out to Stark, but then seemed to think better of it. Clint set the tablet on the table and backed away. That seemed to be the signal for Natasha, Sam, and Steve to do the same. Once they were all safely back in their seats Bucky turned to Stark. He was pretty sure Stark had heard him before, but he had to check. “Can you hear us?”

Stark’s gaze flickered over to Bucky. He nodded slowly. 

Bucky let out a sigh of relief. At least he hadn’t been having one sided conversations with the man this whole time. Bucky backed up until he was standing next to his own chair. He motioned to the one Stark had been sitting in. “Would you be comfortable sitting down so we can talk? Or would you rather we leave?”

Stark’s hand flew up, tapping his thumb to his chest. _I’m fine._ Stark waited until Bucky was sitting down again before slowly crossing the room. He kept the chair he’d been sitting in between him and the others. Stark motioned around the room. _Do you all know sign language?_ He relaxed a little when everyone nodded. _Okay._ Stark waved a hand at his tablet. _If needed Friday can play relay._

“What happened?” Steve’s voice was full of worry as he looked over at Stark. 

Stark cautiously moved around the chair. He watched them, as if worried that Clint or one of the others was going to lash out at him. Just in case, Bucky sent a glare at the Clint promising swift violence if he pulled another stunt. Stark made it to his seat without incident. He started to pick up the tablet, but flinched. Stark shot a nervous look at the others. He held up a finger. One moment. Stark tapped at the tablet screen and then carefully set it on his lap.

A moment later a hologram floated above the screen. The imaged showed Iron Man, War Machine, and Vision facing off against a floating man throwing around brightly colored energy bursts in what looks like Central Park. In the background of the video, Bucky noted that one tree had turned purple and another was on fire. A lamp post turned into licorice and flopped to the ground. Another burst caused a whole flock of ducks to appear out of nowhere. Really, it was the most absurd battle Bucky had ever seen. Right up until the Iron Man armor was blasted with a bolt of golden energy. It didn’t immediately look like Stark even registered the hit. He just kept on flying forward until he plowed into the floating man. They both tumbled from the sky. Iron Man got back up and some uniformed agents swooped in to snap some kind of collar on the man. The agents then herded him away in one of their black SUVs, remarkably similar to what SHIELD had used. The footage paused.

“The man you just saw apprehended was Jonathan Walker, a newly manifested Enhanced individual. Non-mutant. Powers of unknown origin.” Bucky startled at the voice coming from the tablet, but the others didn’t seem too surprised. He shot a curious look at Stark.

The man actually gave Bucky a small smile. It was barely there, but Bucky counted it as a personal victory nonetheless. _That’s FRIDAY,_ Stark signed, spelling out the name carefully. _She’s my AI._

He had heard the others mention Stark’s AI, Jarvis, who had somehow become Vision, but he hadn’t really thought about what Stark had replaced Jarvis with. Apparently it was with an Irish woman.

“After the battle, it was discovered that Boss was no longer able to produce sound,” Friday continued. “He underwent a complete medical examination, but no physical source was found. We determined the cause to be magical. Mr. Walker proved to have no knowledge of how to reverse his own magic. At this point, Boss consulted the Sorcerer Supreme.”

“Wait, there’s a Sorcerer Supreme now?”

The AI barely even hesitated before switching images in response to Sam’s question. “Dr. Stephen Strange.” A man appeared in the hologram, tall and skinny with a goatee and streaks of grey in his hair. Oddly, he had a huge red cape that billowed out behind him. “A powerful sorcerer and Master of the Mystic Arts. Defender of the New York Sanctum. Member of a mystic order based out of Kamar-Taj. Often accompanied by a high ranking member of the order, Wong.” The hologram showed an image of a smaller, stocky Asian man for a brief moment before returning to an image of the doctor.

“Dr. Strange initially determined that the spell was a simple curse,” Friday continued “and would wear off with time. The affected items in Central Park reverted to normal after one week. However, the spell on Boss has not yet faded. Dr. Strange has unfortunately been in another dimension and has not been available for reevaluation.”

Stark tapped at the tablet again and the hologram disappeared. He waved at himself. _And here I am._

“Is Shuri helping you look into a cure?” Natasha asked. She paced back and forth the open area by the chairs as she thought. 

_No._ Stark’s gaze flicked to Bucky and away so quickly that he wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been watching the man. _I’ve had business with Shuri and T’Challa._ He waved a hand at his throat. _Can’t exactly do long distance phone calls like this._ Stark shrugged. _I can’t go out in public like this, so T’Challa offered to let me stay until it clears up._

“But… Didn’t you just have an appearance on a talk show or something a few days ago?” Clint tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair. “Where you talked about the new Stark phone?”

Stark snorted. He tapped at his tablet again. After a long moment he looked up at Clint again. “Right you are, bird brain.” Bucky startled at the sudden sound of Stark’s voice. “I had to do a video call instead of the scheduled appearance, but…” All of a sudden Stark’s lips stopped moving, but the voice continued. “Friday is able to simulate my voice well enough for short conversations, especially when the host was made to stick to a strict script.” Stark leaned back in his chair with an amused quirk to his lips.

“Huh.” Bucky was actually kind of impressed. “That’s some pretty impressive technology.”

A brief flash of surprise flickered over Stark’s face before he smoothed it away to that polite mask again. _Anyways,_ Stark signed. He glanced at Steve and then at Bucky. _I did not react well to seeing THAT video._ Stark grimaced. He held Steve’s gaze as he signed. I’m sorry.

Steve’s shoulders sagged as if a great weight had finally been lifted. His smile was dazzling and kinda sappy in a way that made Bucky want to roll his eyes. “I suppose you had a hand in Wanda's return to the states,” Steve said. It wasn't so much a question as it seemed like the man was voicing his thoughts out loud. Bucky could practically see the way Steve was rearranging pieces of a mental puzzle, making it all fit neatly now.

Stark hesitated before slowly nodding. _She's not a US citizen,_ Tony signed, _so Ross's authority over her was pretty much non-existent._ Tony's hands paused. His gaze flicked over to Clint before focusing back on Steve. _Ross really didn’t have the authority to do a lot of things._ Tony shrugged. _In Wanda’s case, an argument was made that she didn't have proper training and since she is technically a mutant, she has certain rights. The Mutant Rights movement and all that. Professor Charles Xavier personally requested she be granted probation in exchange for training at his school._

“Xavier?” Steve’s brows drew down. “That name sounds familiar.”

“He's the leader of the X-Men,” Natasha said. 

_He is also one of the leading researchers on mutants and has a lot of political weight,_ Stark signed. _The President and the Accords Council both respect him._

“What about the rest of us?” There is a bit of a bite to Clint's voice despite his lazy drawl. 

Stark tensed. He didn't quite look at any of them when he replied. _It's complicated,_ Stark signed. He held up his hand when Clint opened his mouth again. Stark's hands twitched for a second but he didn't actually form any recognizable signs. The man let out a long, silent sigh. He looked up after a moment.

_Ross is being indicted for imprisoning you all without a trial._ Tony paused while the others processed that. He continued when no one interrupted him. _You were all given lawyers in absentia while the Courts hash things out. I know T’Challa made sure you were in contact with them._ Stark waved a hand towards an empty chair. _Lang is evidence of that. He took the first plea deal that was offered so he could be with his little girl._

Clint snorted. “Yeah, house arrest for two years wasn’t exactly my idea of a good deal.”

Stark rolled his eyes. _I thought you were retired. Isn’t the point of being retired, staying home?_

“Still not a good deal,” Clint muttered. “Shield had protections in place for agents’ families. House arrest would involve registering their address with law enforcement.” Clint grimaced and leaned back in his chair. “I can’t even call my family without worrying about compromising their security.”

Stark’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. He tapped at the tablet. After a moment Stark set the tablet in his lap. A new hologram came to life, showing off a logo Bucky had never seen before. He opened his mouth to ask, but Friday’s voice cut him off. “The Sentient World Observation and Response Department is a newly formed counterterrorism Intelligence organization under the direction of Maria Hill.” Friday flipped through a number of images of Maria Hill and a building Bucky didn’t recognize. “The organization will be operating under the Accords Council and the UN to address security threats domestically and to prepare for extraterrestrial threats and those from other realms.”

A wave of his hand cleared the image. Stark looked up at Clint and Natasha. _Sword will be filling the hole that was left by Shield._ He shrugged. _Hill is working it into the Accords agreements._

“Hill is, or you are?” Natasha asked, leaning on the back of Stark’s chair. 

Stark gave a startled yelp, which looked rather weird without any accompanying sound. He craned his neck around. _Can you not?_

Natasha gave him a small smile before moving away to perch on the arm of Clint’s chair. “You’ve been working with T’Challa on the Accords revisions,” she said with certainty.

For a moment, Bucky wasn’t sure if Stark was going to answer or not. Then the man seemed to deflate. He turned to look out the window even as his hand moved. _Yes._

A knock on the door frame drew all of their attention. Bucky was surprised to find one of the Dora Milaje standing in the open doorway. Her hands moved in a series of signs that Bucky couldn’t parse. Some of them looked similar to the sign language he knew, but others were entirely foreign. Whatever it was, Stark seemed to understand. He nodded and his hands made similar signs. The woman in the doorway gave a slight inclination of her head before turning and leaving.

Stark’s attention turned back to the others. _Time’s up folks._ He rose from his seat, smoothing down his clothing before reaching down to pick up his tablet. Stark tucked the tablet under his arm. _Gotta go see King Kitty._

“What was that,” Clint asked, confusion in his voice.

The look Stark sent the man made clear that he was judging Clint’s intelligence and finding it lacking. _Wakandan sign language_ , Stark answered, which Bucky had to admit really should have been obvious.

“How did you learn Wakandan sign language?” Bucky found himself asking. 

Stark paused in the doorway. He turned back towards them so that his hands were visible. _There was a computer tutorial._ Then the man was gone, leaving them sitting in what Bucky thought of as Stark’s space. From the looks of the others, Stark had given them all a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this plot in my head for awhile and have had these chapters written for a couple months. This is the last one that I have already beta'd and ready to go, so will be a bit of a wait for the next one.


End file.
